Honor slaves that built the Capitol

Congressional task force: Honor slaves that built the Capitol by Jason Rhyne
Published: Friday November 9, 2007

The slaves who helped to construct the US Capitol in Washington, DC, should be honored for their historic effort, reports a Congressional task force that recently completed a two-year examination of how African-American laborers contributed to the building's construction.

"The research turned up little-known facts about the role of slaves in building what was known in the 1800s as the 'Temple of Liberty,' reports Roll Call's's Emily Yehle. "Their tasks included hauling stone, laying brick and sawing timber in the hot sun -- all for $60 a year paid to their white owners."

Task force chairman Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who led the group of House legislators and scholars involved in the effort, said it was vital that slaves' place in American history be appropriately commemorated.

"We look back today, not to open old wounds, but to ensure that we tell the story -- the complete story -- of those slaves so their toils are never forgotten," Lewis told Roll Call. "Slavery is a part of our nation's history of which we are not proud. However, we should not run away or hide from it."

Proposed plans from the task force to honor that legacy include an exhibit in the Capitol about the experience of slaves in the 19th century, as well as online information resources and print materials. The group's next step will be to present its proposals to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

"We're going to need a sizable appropriation to do the work that we want to do," Lewis told the paper, adding that specific plans were still being formulated.

"When we look at the building, it's not your building, the majority, it's our building," Sarah Jean Davidson, a preservationist who participated in the project, told Roll Call. "Once they start feeling that we are connected, we are one."

An August story in USA Today detailed the work of Philip Reid, a slave who was significantly involved in the history of the Statue of Freedom, the bronze sculpture which sits atop the Capitol dome.

When an early plaster version of the statue proved difficult for workmen to separate -- which was required before the statue could be cast in bronze -- Reid, a skilled craftsman, had singlehandedly solved the problem.

"But the work of Reid and other slaves remains an all-but-untold story," the report continued. "The US Capitol Historical Society mentions it in a traveling exhibit about the history of African-Americans in the Capitol, but no permanent memorial exists in the building itself."

According to Roll Call, some recognition projects are already underway. A measure proposed by Reps. Zach Wamp (R-TN) and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), proposes to change the name of the Capitol Vistor Center's Great Hall to Emancipation Hall.